Methods, systems and storage mediums for providing a self-provisioning telephony service

ABSTRACT

A self-provisioning telephony service includes assigning a toll-free telephone number to a customer account for a customer of a telecommunications provider, distributing the toll-free telephone number and an access number to the customer along with an invitation to provision a toll-free telephone number service, and receiving, at a local exchange carrier switch, a call from the customer. The access number is identified by the local exchange carrier switch for the call in response to performing a call number translation. The telephony service also includes accessing, by a server, the toll-free telephone number identified for the customer account and generating a provisioning order that includes a customer telephone number from the customer account and the toll-free telephone number. The telephony service further includes transmitting the provisioning order to a service control server, the service control server activating the toll-free telephone number for the customer account.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional U.S. Patent Application is a continuation ofpending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/624,075, filed Nov. 23,2009, which is a continuation application of U.S. Pat. No. 7,643,627,filed Jul. 9, 2004 the contents of each of which are incorporated hereinin their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to telecommunicationsservices, and more particularly, to methods, systems, and storagemediums for providing a self-provisioning telephony service.

As society becomes more mobile, more service industries are attemptingto cater to the changing needs associated with individuals who aregeographically displaced from their friends, family, and others but wishto remain ‘connected.’ Those who travel extensively to variablelocations have a particularly difficult time maintaining communicationswith family and friends back home. College students are another exampleof consumers who may find themselves disconnected from family andfriends at home due to the costs and inconveniences of existingtelecommunications services. Telephones are arguably the most popularmeans by which these travelers stay in communication with their lovedones. In addition, as the population grows older and ages, parents onfixed incomes may become more concerned with costs of calling theirchildren. Finally, a certain segment of work-at-home residentialcustomers may find it beneficial to provide a toll free number toprospective customers calling their combined home and business telephonenumber. Unfortunately, however, there are an abundance of long-distancecarriers, each with their own billing policies and related time/costrestrictions that can create a burden on the calling individual, andperhaps, have a negative impact on how and when a caller will ‘phonehome.’

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment, a method for implementing self-provisioning telephonyservices is provided. The method includes assigning a toll-freetelephone number to a customer account for a customer of atelecommunications provider, distributing the toll-free telephone numberand an access number to the customer along with an invitation toprovision a toll-free telephone number service, and receiving, at alocal exchange carrier switch, a call from the customer. The accessnumber is identified by the local exchange carrier switch for the callin response to performing a call number translation. The method alsoincludes accessing, by a server, the toll-free telephone numberidentified for the customer account and generating a provisioning orderthat includes a customer telephone number from the customer account andthe toll-free telephone number. The method further includes transmittingthe provisioning order to a service control server, the service controlserver activating the toll-free telephone number for the customeraccount.

Other systems, methods, and/or computer program products according toembodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponreview of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, and/or computerprogram products be included within this description, be within thescope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanyingclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alikein the several FIGURES:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system upon which the self-provisioningsystem may be implemented in exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 2 is a flowchart describing a process for implementing theself-provisioning system in exemplary embodiments; and

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate sample provisioning orders created via theself-provisioning system in exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to exemplary embodiments, the self-provisioning telephonysystem enables service users to activate, e.g., a toll-free number atany time of the day using, e.g., a toll-free service number provided tothem. This is accomplished without the need for any human interaction.The service user calls the toll-free service number, provides input inresponse to prompts, and selects a PIN. The toll-free number isactivated in minutes once a provisioning order is processed through theprovisioning system. In a similar manner, service users may modifyand/or cancel their toll-free service.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a system upon which the self-provisioning systemmay be implemented will now be described. In exemplary embodiments, atelephone 102, operated by a caller who may be a customer of atelecommunications service provider, is shown in FIG. 1. In thedescription that follows, the terms “caller” and “customer” are used.However, it should be appreciated that more than one caller may share acustomer account. The telecommunications service provider provides longdistance telephone services to residential customers, typically for aspecified geographic region, and may also provide long distancetelephone services to business customers. A caller communicates with thetelecommunications service provider using a calling device 102, such asa telephone, a personal computer, or a web-enabled mobile telephone,which is coupled to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 106. Inexemplary embodiments, the telecommunications service provider, throughhost system 104, also provides the self-provisioning services describedherein. However, the telecommunications service provider may outsource aportion of these services to a third party system such as an applicationservice provider (ASP) under an agreement.

The system shown in FIG. 1 also includes a billing server 103 incommunication with host system 104 via a packet-switched network such asnetwork 108. Billing server 103 executes a billing application fortracking the fees associated with the self-provisioning system. Acustomer account may be charged a fee for each minute of use similar tothe fees associated with existing long distance telephone services. Thisusage may be tracked by host system 104 and customers may be billed viaa billing application executing on server 103. In FIG. 1, billing server103 is shown to be outside of host system 104 for security reasons(e.g., an extra layer of security may be provided between network 108and billing server 103 in order to protect confidential customer andbilling data). However, it is not necessary that billing server 103reside outside of host system 104. With proper security systems/softwarein place, it is contemplated that billing server 103 may reside withinhost system 104. Billing server 103 receives provisioning orders fromhost system 104 which include customer information used to facilitatethe billing process. These provisioning orders may be stored internallyin server 103 as shown in FIG. 1 or may be stored in a memory locationseparate from server 103 which is logically addressable by server 103.The type of data that may be found in a provisioning order received atserver 103 is shown generally in FIG. 3A and is described furtherherein.

As indicated above, a packet-switched network 108 is also included inthe system shown in FIG. 1. Network 108 may be any suitable network suchas an Intranet, Extranet, or Internet, and enables entities associatedwith the self-provisioning system to communicate with one another aswill be described further herein.

Host system 104 includes an exchange carrier switch 110, a servicecontrol server 112, a resource server 116, and a provisioning server128. Exchange carrier switch 110 may comprise a high capacity switchingsystem designed to assist the networks of interexchange carriers (e.g.,host system 104). Exchange carrier switch 110 utilizes hardware andsoftware capable of handling large capacity voice and datacommunications for long distance telecommunications customers. Hardwareutilized by exchange carrier switch 110 may include the DMS 250™ byNortel Networks Corporation of Brampton, Ontario. In a typicaltelecommunications environment, when an 800-number call is placed by anindividual, a local exchange carrier (not shown) associated with theindividual queries a national database (not shown) to determine whichcarrier enterprise services that particular 800 number. In FIG. 1,exchange carrier switch 110 is determined to be the carrier (e.g.,service provider) for the 800 number that was dialed.

Exchange carrier switch 110 also communicates with service controlserver 112 utilizing, e.g., Signaling Service No. 7 (SS7) protocol,which is described in “Telecommunications-Signaling System No. 7(SS7)—General Information,” T1.110, ANSI, 1992. Service control server112 refers to a centralized database server that provides services suchas 800-number translation. Service control server 112 sorts callhandling and routing information for services executed by switchingsystems such as exchange carrier switch 110. Exchange carrier switch 110accesses service control server 112 to perform look-ups of 800 numbersit receives. Based upon the results of the look-ups, service controlserver 112 returns routing instructions for the call to exchange carrierswitch 110, which in turn, places the call. Exchange carrier switch 110further communicates with resource server 116 via a primary rateinterface (PRI) trunk 111. The PRI trunk 111 may be a DS1 line or T1line having a channel reserved for primary rate interface (PRI)signaling.

Service control server 112 stores self-provisioning service (SPS) accessnumbers in a data store 114 and stores SPS provisioned orders in a datastore 115. SPS access numbers 114 refer to pre-established toll freenumbers that are exclusively allocated by host system 104 forimplementing the self-provisioning system. Access numbers 114 areprovided to customers of the telecommunications service provider. Datafor provisioned orders in data store 115 is received from provisioningserver 128 for activating the SPS services described herein. The type ofdata that may be included in a provisioning order received fromprovisioning server 128 is shown in FIG. 3B. This data may bereformatted to a format usable by service control server 112. Forexample, the provisioning order data of FIG. 3B may be reformatted intobinary code or a format utilizing data compression for facilitating thestorage requirements of server control server 112. Service controlserver 112 may be a proprietary application or may comprise the EnhancedControl Server (eCS) by Lucent Technologies® of Murray Hill, N.J.Service control server 112 communicates with resource server 116,billing server 103, and provisioning server 128 via packet-switchednetwork 108 or similar means.

Resource server 116 enables a service provider of host system 104 toprovide enhanced customer services such as those provided by theself-provisioning system. Resource server 116 includes text-to-speechcapabilities and supports multimedia and multi-lingual requirements. Forexample, the user interface 118 may communicate with customers byproviding prompts using, e.g., voice, text, and/or multi-media formatsdepending upon the type of calling device (e.g., 102) used. Resourceserver 116 may be a proprietary application or may comprise the EnhancedMedia Resource Server (eMRS) by Lucent Technologies®. Resource server116 further executes an application and user interface 118 forimplementing the self-provisioning system services.

Resource server 116 is in communication with a data repository 120,which stores databases of customer telephone numbers 122, toll freetelephone numbers 124, and personal identification numbers (PINs) 126.Customer telephone numbers 122 refer to the telephone lines associatedwith the customer accounts and may be business lines or personal lines.A pre-established listing of available toll free telephone numbers areallocated by host system 104 for the self-provisioning system and aremaintained in database 124. According to an exemplary embodiment, theself-provisioning system is capable of supporting at least 1,000 tollfree telephone numbers. A pre-defined listing of PINs may also beestablished and maintained in database 126. In exemplary embodiments,the self-provisioning system is capable of supporting at least 10,000PINs. A single toll free telephone number may be assigned to multipleindividuals whereby customers sharing the same toll free telephonenumber are distinguishable by their unique PIN. PINs may range in lengthfrom four digits to ten digits. In alternative embodiments, customersmay assign their own PINs by entering and validating a uniqueuser-selected number into telephone 102. This assignment may befacilitated via prompts from the self-provisioning system applicationand user interface 118. Provisioning orders may be generated by theself-provisioning system application 118 in response to customerrequests as described further herein.

Data repository 120 may be a separate physical storage device that isaddressable by server 116 as shown in FIG. 1. It will be understood,however, that data repository 120 and server 116 may alternativelycomprise a single unit, such as a mainframe computer, and that they areshown as separate units in FIG. 1 for purposes of illustration.

Provisioning server 128 provisions the databases for intelligent networkservices such as the self-provisioning system application and userinterface 118 as well as voice files miming on the intelligent networkplatform. Provisioning server 128 receives provisioning orders fromresource server 116. These provisioning orders may be in text format asshown, e.g., in FIGS. 3A-3B. The provisioning orders may be reformattedby the provisioning server 128 into a data structure recognizable byservice control server 112. For example, the provisioning data may becompressed to facilitate the limited storage requirements of servicecontrol server 112. In this manner, the provisioning order data thatcomprise the provisioned orders in data store 115 may be in a compressedformat. This reformatted provisioning data is transmitted to servicecontrol server 112 via network 108. Provisioning server 128 may executea proprietary application or may execute the Enhanced Services Manager(eSM) by Lucent Technologies®.

Provisioning server 128 may also store records of provisioning orders ina data store 130 as a back-up security measure in the event of a systemfailure. Provisioning server 128 may also manage other services offeredin addition to the self-provisioning services described herein. Inalternate embodiments, a single server may be utilized to provide thefunctionality described above with respect to resource server 116 andprovisioning server 128.

In exemplary embodiments, customers/callers may activate theself-provisioning telephony service from their home phones (e.g.,wireline phones linked to the toll-free number assigned by host system104) for security purposes. However, it will be understood thatactivation may occur from an alternate location or device if sufficientsecurity measures are adopted to prevent unauthorized activation oftoll-free numbers and other system abuses.

The implementation of the self-provisioning system is described hereinwith respect to voice-initiated communications from a customer telephone102. Exemplary embodiments, however, further include implementation ofthe self-provisioning system using next generation network technologiessuch as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), whereby a customerinitiates activation of the SPS services via a computer-enhanced devicesuch as a personal computer, web-enabled mobile telephone, and similardigital devices.

Execution of the self-provisioning system will now be described withreference to FIG. 2. For ease of explanation, the processes described inFIG. 2 presuppose that a telecommunications customer of host system 104is a residential customer and that the customer has received aninvitation by host system 104 to request a personal toll-free number.This invitation may come by postal mail, electronic mail, telephone, orother similar means. The invitation may include a toll-free number thatis uniquely assigned to the residential customer or to a specifiednumber of customers as described above. The invitation may furtherinclude a toll free SPS number that is used to initiate contact with theself-provisioning system and activate a toll free telephone number. Thistoll free SPS number may also be used to modify a customer's SPS service(e.g., change a PIN assignment), to retrieve a forgotten PIN, and tocancel the toll free SPS service.

At step 202, a customer/caller who is interested in receiving the SPSservices calls the SPS access number found in the invitation. The callis routed from carrier switch 110 to service control server 112, whichin turn translates the call at step 204. The translation process isdescribed above with reference to FIG. 1. The number dialed by thecustomer is compared with SPS access numbers in database 114. If theresults of the comparison indicate that the number dialed is not an SPSaccess number at step 206 (e.g., no match is found in database 114), anerror message is returned to the customer at step 208. If the number isconfirmed to be an SPS access number at step 206, the call is thenrouted via carrier switch 110 to resource server 116 over trunk 111 atstep 210. Resource server 116 validates the requester's identity bycomparing the customer's phone number (e.g., the telephone number fromwhich the customer placed the call and which is tied with the customer'stelecommunications service account) with customer number database 122 indata repository 120 at step 212. If it is determined that the customeris not a valid account holder at step 214, an error message istransmitted to the customer at step 216. This may be a voice recordingthat is activated by resource server 116 and presented to the customervia carrier switch 110 and PSTN 106.

If it is confirmed that the customer is a valid account holder at step214, resource server 116 presents a recorded greeting to the customer,along with options for directing the customer to activate the toll freenumber at step 218. The prompts may include instructions for validatingthe customer's identity, or may include directions for activating,modifying, or canceling a toll-free number. The prompts may also includeterms and conditions of the SPS services, including fees andcancellation penalties, if applicable. In response to the customer'sresponses to these directions, the resource server 116 assigns a PINnumber to the customer at step 220. The PIN number may be selected byresource server 116 from a database 126 of SPS PIN numbers in datarepository 120. The customer may, in turn, accept or reject the PINnumber assigned by responding to prompts to accept or reject the PINassignment. If the customer does not accept the pin number at step 222,the resource server 116 retrieves an alternate PIN number from database126 and presents it to the customer at step 220. If the customer acceptsthe PIN at step 222, or alternatively, if the customer accepts analternative PIN at step 222, the resource server 116 presents the tollfree number, PIN, and the customer's phone number as confirmation of thetransaction at step 224. The customer may then be prompted to accept theSPS service and its terms and conditions.

The provisioning process is then initiated by the resource server 116 atstep 226. The provisioning process includes generating a provisioningorder by resource server 116 and transmitting the provisioning order toprovisioning server 128. Sample provisioning orders are shown in FIGS.3A-3B. Provisioning server 128 forwards the provisioning order 300A tobilling server 103 so that billing server 103 can ensure that thecustomer is billed for the service at step 228. Billing server 103, inturn, stores the provisioned orders received in database 105.Provisioning server 128 also reformats the provisioning order data asdescribed in FIG. 1 and transmits the reformatted data to servicecontrol server 112 as part of step 228. Likewise, resource server 116updates its toll-free number database 124 and PIN database 126 toreflect that this number and PIN are no longer available for assignment.Once service control server 112 receives the reformatted provisioningorder data, it activates the toll free number at step 230. Thisreformatted provisioning order data is stored in database 115. Thecustomer's toll free number is now ready for use. The entireprovisioning process as recited in steps 202-230 may be completed inminutes without any human intervention.

The provisioning order shown in FIG. 3A represents the type of data thatis provided to billing server 103 in order to manage the customerbilling for the SPS service. The provisioning order of 300A includes anorder date reflecting the date in which the SPS service was activated.Provisioning order 300B, however, does not require an order date as thedata is used by service control server 112 to automatically activate theservice immediately upon receipt of the provisioning order.

A customer may modify and/or cancel his/her toll free number service (orretrieve a forgotten PIN) by calling the SPS access number and followingthe prompts to either modify or cancel the service. The process stepsfor modifying and canceling service are similar to those described abovewith respect to activating the service.

As can be seen from the above, the self-provisioning system facilitates24-hour self-provisioning of toll-free number services. The service usercalls the toll-free service number, provides input in response toprompts, and selects a pin. The toll-free number is activated in minutesonce a provisioning order is processed through the provisioning system.In a similar manner, service users may modify and/or cancel theirtoll-free service. This is accomplished without the need for any humaninteraction.

As described above, the present invention can be embodied in the form ofcomputer-implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing thoseprocesses. The present invention can also be embodied in the form ofcomputer program code containing instructions embodied in tangiblemedia, such as floppy diskettes, CD ROMs, hard drives, or any othercomputer-readable storage medium, wherein, when the computer programcode is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes anapparatus for practicing the invention. The present invention can alsobe embodied in the form of computer program code, for example, whetherstored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer,or transmitted over some transmission medium, such as over electricalwiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagneticradiation, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into anexecuted by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicingthe invention. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, thecomputer program code segments configure the microprocessor to createspecific logic circuits.

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplaryembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. Inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situationor material to the teachings of the invention without departing from theessential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the inventionnot be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed for carrying outthis invention, but that the invention will include all embodimentsfalling within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: assigning a toll-freetelephone number to a customer account for a customer of atelecommunications provider; distributing the toll-free telephone numberand an access number to the customer along with an invitation toprovision a toll-free telephone number service; receiving, at a localexchange carrier switch, a call from the customer, the access numberidentified by the local exchange carrier switch for the call in responseto performing a call number translation; accessing, by a server, thetoll-free telephone number identified for the customer account andgenerating a provisioning order that includes a customer telephonenumber from the customer account and the toll-free telephone number; andtransmitting the provisioning order to a service control server, theservice control server activating the toll-free telephone number for thecustomer account.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning thetoll-free telephone number to the customer account includes mapping thetoll-free telephone number to the customer telephone number.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising storing the provisioning order atthe service control server, the service control server performing atoll-free number translation; wherein an incoming call to the toll-freetelephone number, once provisioned, is translated by the service controlserver using information in the provisioning order.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the provisioning order further includes a personalidentification number assigned to the customer.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the provisioning order further includes a personalidentification number assigned to each of multiple customers associatedwith the customer account, each of the multiple customers sharing thetoll-free telephone number, and each of the multiple customersdistinguishable from one another by the corresponding personalidentification number.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generatingthe provisioning order further includes prompting the customer, via theserver, to select from available functions, the functions including:validating an identity of the customer; assigning the personalidentification number to the customer; and accepting assignment of thetoll-free telephone number.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: presenting to the customer, via the server, functionsselectable for performing: modifying the personal identification number;and canceling the toll-free telephone number.
 8. A system, comprising: alocal exchange carrier switch receiving a call from a customer of atelecommunications provider, the call identified by the local exchangecarrier switch as an access number in response to performing a callnumber translation, wherein the call from the customer is received inresponse to an invitation distributed to the customer to provision atoll-free telephone number, the invitation including the toll-freetelephone number and the access number, and wherein the toll-freetelephone number is pre-assigned to a customer account of the customer;and a server in communication with a service control server thatservices the local exchange carrier switch, the server performing amethod, comprising: accessing the toll-free telephone number identifiedfor the customer account; generating a provisioning order comprising acustomer telephone number from the customer account and the toll-freetelephone number; and transmitting the provisioning order to the servicecontrol server; wherein the service control server activates thetoll-free telephone number for the customer account.
 9. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the toll-free telephone number is assigned to thecustomer account by mapping the toll-free telephone number to thecustomer telephone number.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein theservice control server stores the provisioning order and performs atoll-free number translation; wherein an incoming call to the toll-freetelephone number, once provisioned, is translated by the service controlserver using information in the provisioning order.
 11. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the provisioning order further includes a personalidentification number assigned to the customer.
 12. The system of claim8, wherein the provisioning order further includes a personalidentification number assigned to each of multiple customers associatedwith the customer account, each of the multiple customers sharing thetoll-free telephone number, and each of the multiple customersdistinguishable from one another by the corresponding personalidentification number.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein theprovisioning order is further generated via the server by prompting thecustomer to select from available functions, the functions including:validating an identity of the customer; assigning the personalidentification number to the customer; and accepting assignment of thetoll-free telephone number.
 14. A computer program product comprising anon-transitory storage medium encoded with machine readable programcode, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to implementa method, the method comprising: assigning a toll-free telephone numberto a customer account for a customer of a telecommunications provider;distributing the toll-free telephone number and an access number to thecustomer along with an invitation to provision a toll-free telephonenumber service; receiving, at a local exchange carrier switch, a callfrom the customer, the access number identified by the local exchangecarrier switch for the call in response to performing a call numbertranslation; accessing, by a server, the toll-free telephone numberidentified for the customer account and generating a provisioning orderthat includes a customer telephone number from the customer account andthe toll-free telephone number; and transmitting the provisioning orderto a service control server, the service control server activating thetoll-free telephone number for the customer account.
 15. The computerprogram product of claim 14, wherein the assigning the toll-freetelephone number to the customer account includes mapping the toll-freetelephone number to the customer telephone number.
 16. The computerprogram product of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:storing the provisioning order at the service control server, theservice control server performing a toll-free number translation;wherein an incoming call to the toll-free telephone number, onceprovisioned, is translated by the service control server usinginformation in the provisioning order.
 17. The computer program productof claim 14, wherein the provisioning order further includes a personalidentification number assigned to the customer.
 18. The computer programproduct of claim 14, wherein the provisioning order further includes apersonal identification number assigned to each of multiple customersassociated with the customer account, each of the multiple customerssharing the toll-free telephone number, and each of the multiplecustomers distinguishable from one another by the corresponding personalidentification number.
 19. The computer program product of claim 14,wherein the generating the provisioning order further includes promptingthe customer, via the server, to select from available functions, thefunctions including: validating an identity of the customer; assigningthe personal identification number to the customer; and acceptingassignment of the toll-free telephone number.
 20. The computer programproduct of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises: presenting tothe customer, via the server, functions selectable for performing:modifying the personal identification number; and canceling thetoll-free telephone number.